Outsourcing firm offers jobs to medical workers

CEBU, Philippines - An American-based clinical process outsourcing company, HCCA Health Connections, will be hiring registered nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals as it opens its 350-seat offshore operation in Cebu.

HCCA Health Connections provides intelligent, patient-centered CPO solutions to lower and improve efficiency for health care players, providers and health care companies. Most of its clients are based in the United States.

In an interview with the company's director for human resources, Kristine De Guzman, she said the company which is now starting its initial operation in Cebu at the 3Quad building located at Cebu Business Park, she said that the entry of the company to Cebu would provide medical professionals the opportunity to work for US medical institutions without having to leave their families.

Purchasers of health care services in the United States—individuals, corporations and government and commercial payers—agree that current health care delivery and financing systems are extremely costly and often wasteful or inefficient.

HCCA exists to help ensure that the appropriate health care is delivered at the proper time and place, and to improve efficiency in delivery of that care while simultaneously providing a structure for operating cost reduction.

"We accomplish these outcomes by offering a direct solution to the registered nurse staffing crisis in the U.S., while also providing nurses, pharmacists, physicians and other professionals to manage or support “back office” functions," said de Guzman.

At present, the company has two offices in Metro Manila with 700 workers. By 2015, the company aims to hit a total headcount of 1,500, of which large part of the growth will come from Cebu.

According to De Guzman, the opening of its Cebu operation is in recognition of the company's high respect for Cebu’s good supply of medical professionals, producing at least 20 thousand nurses annually.

Aside from registered nurses, the company will also be hiring services of medical doctors, medical technologists, radiologists, among others.

Currently, 80 percent of HCCA's working pool of nurses are passers of US' National Council Licensure Examination, and 20 percent are Philippine registered nurses.

De Guzman said HCCA prefers to hire nurses with at least six months bedside (hospital) experience.

Originally, HCCA used to be a recruitment company for nurses seeking job in the United States. The company diversified its operation to CPO, following the implementation of the "Obama Care", program which restricted in giving out working VISAs to nurses.

Since 2008, the company suffered a backlog of Filipino nurses, who were supposed to already have job orders from American hospitals and lost the opportunity to send them to the United States.

Nevertheless, American healthcare institutions were able to manage the problem by outsourcing some of its services through and get the job done offshore, thus the start of the emerging CPO that is now gaining hold in the Philippine outsourcing sector.

More projects in queue: Singaporean developer builds 1st Cebu project

CEBU, Philippines - A Singaporean real estate developer ventures into the condominium market of Cebu starting off with a 32-storey project on Nivel Hills, which will provide 350 residential units within three years.

Established in December last year, Wei Kiat Management and Development Company kicked off its Philippine operations with investments on condominium developments in Cebu.

The company, which is a subsidiary of Wei Kiat Construction Pte Ltd that operates several luxury condominium projects in Singapore, also plans to build more mixed-use projects in Cebu in the next few years including a golf course project as well as other developments similar to the Manila Ocean Park, said account management executive Christi Lara.

Noting the demand for middle-high condominium units in Cebu, Lara said the La Nivea at Nivel Hills project will bring in high quality Singaporean condominium technology to Cebu, but at reasonable price range.

The units are pegged at prices ranging from P2.1 million for a furnished studio to as high as P19 million for a penthouse unit.

She said the company will tap Singapore's top of the line designers as well as use high quality and modern furnishings designed for condominium living.

Immediately after getting its permit to sell, Lara said the project has already sold 14 units and one penthouse.

"We have ongoing negotiations for our future projects in Cebu But, we are still focusing on the La Nivea at Nivel Hills project, " said Lara in an interview during the company's official grand launching Wednesday.

Wei Kiat Construction Pte Ltd., is an established and reliable leading home builder in Singapore. It is an ISO-certified company specializing in the construction of dwelling houses and apartments. Its track record include the construction of multi-storey basement residential apartment buildings, and detached dwelling houses with basement, as well as in ground and roof top swimming pools. — Ehda M. Dagooc (FREEMAN)